*Hana's POV*
I was happy—so happy—to have these minutes with him. These were moments that felt precious, almost holy. But they were fleeting. A stinging bang on the front door broke the quiet, both of our eyes drawn toward the noise.
"Alpha, you have a message," sounded a guard's voice from the living room.
Stephen took a slow breath and stood up, his face darkened with irritation.
"What is it?" he demanded, walking to the door with deliberate strides. He left it ajar just wide enough to talk with the guard, speaking in a low tone. I couldn't hear the words, only the tone—tense, clipped.
Then a sigh.
“I’ll be there in a moment,” Stephen murmured before shutting the door quietly behind him. He didn’t turn around right away, keeping his back to me as if trying to stretch the moment ju
